GMC faces mountain challenge with Tamroc and Sandvik tools

Tamroc drills and Sandvik Rammer hammers are helping Iranian contractor, General Mechanic Company, to navigate the challenges of road building across the Hajar Mountains in the UAE.

The firm is undertaking the contract to build a 10km dual carriageway and 1.2km-long twin tunnel from Dafta, near Masafi, to Khorfakhan in Sharjah.

Consultant on the project is Halcrow International.

“It is not like a conventional mountain range with peaks spaced widely apart,” said a spokesman for GMC.

“The constant undulations are causing major problems. Even the use of GPS techniques cannot provide the exact desired location. Often it may be necessary to prepare a 500m-long access route to reach a peak above it and begin excavating down to the desired point.”

To ensure the maintenance of slope stability once the access roads and the route of the highway have been prepared, GMC is preparing a series of benches using Sandvik Rammer hammers to remove overhangs and ensure a smooth surface finish.

Initially, a dozer removes any loose material. Three Tamrock hydraulic crawler drills, including a CHA560 and CHA550, belonging to subcontractor Gulf Rock Engineering Company, are then used to drill on the 1:1.5 slope.

The top bench is generally drilled in two steps to provide a height of 12-30m with the rigs drilling at an inverse 76º angle. Thereafter, four 12m-high benches are prepared.

Blasting has been taking place on a weekly basis with a minimum of 150 holes drilled.
Roadwork started on phase one in December last year in a 42-month contract. Phase two, currently under design, will continue from Shis to Khorfakhan, covering a distance of 19km. It will also include either a single 3.9km-long twin-tunnel or three shorter tunnels.

The new 29km-long route will, on completion, provide a faster route for goods and materials being transported from the busy port facility of Khorfakhan, to Dubai and Sharjah. The existing road network from the port through Fujairah is busy and slow moving.

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